He had a point. I still had the Outrider summoning bracelet I’d found at the remains of the force that imprisoned Nihilator.
I smiled. “You’re right. I’ll find a way. It’s not like I have much choice. At least now I know I have a chance at winning. I thank you, trav– Tal.”
“Don’t mention it, man. You know I got your back.” He smirked. “I’ll get my buddies to post a few rumors about the great Manapulators. Something about them falling onto hard times and becoming desperate enough to launch a full-scale raid against goblins. That might damage their reputation enough to prevent an attack completely, or at least reduce the number of players willing to sign on.”
What could I say? Tal was the man. “You’re the man, bro.” I grinned at him.
We fist-bumped. My hand looked pitifully small compared to his.
“So that’s some pretty interesting dark magic effects you got going there, pal. How did you get them? The logs contained no information about it.”
I felt my distrust soar. Now, why would he ask something like that? I had to consider carefully what to reveal. “Nihilator.”
“Oh shit, that old-gen boss? He isn’t supposed to exist in NEO anymore. I have no idea how Guy missed that one during the culling. How the hell do you keep turning up such archaic content, Oren?”
“Guy didn’t exactly miss him.”
Tal looked at me, curious.
“He sent a host of high-level divine servants – Outriders – to destroy him. But as it turns out, he can’t be destroyed, so instead, they locked him away deep in the earth to slowly wither away.”
Tal shook his head. “We really don’t want one of those old boss gods influencing events in NEO again. They were too powerful, which severely unbalanced the game. That’s why they had to go. Good thing you got away from him. Best keep your distance in the future.”
For a moment, I felt a pang for not being honest with Tal. But how did I tell him I hadn’t exactly escaped Nihilator … that I’d actually turned into one of his worshipers and was, in fact, working to set him loose on the world?
That moment passed quickly. I couldn’t shake off my gut feeling anymore screaming at me not to share too much with this outsider, that it could still all somehow be a trap aimed to get me.
Besides, even if my gut was wrong, sharing those things would only get Tal upset, and there was nothing he or I could do to change the course of events now. So for those reasons, I decided not to bring up the subject of being bound by the dark deity.
“By the way, how long have we been here?” I looked around. “I’d better get back to the clan. Got a lot of stuff to do – empire to build, invasions to stop, you know, the usual.”
Tal chuckled, and his eyes lost focus for a second, checking his interface. “About an hour and a half.”
“What!” That was almost a full day in my world. “We haven’t been talking that long!”
“Well, you did rage on for a good while at the start, tried to kill me in increasingly innovative ways. That took a while.”
My memory of that part was hazy, but it didn’t matter. As much as I valued and even enjoyed Tal’s company, I couldn’t waste any more time. Perhaps this was his angle all along, delaying me while setting up another attack outside. That thought surfaced almost on its own, making me agitated and anxious.
I got to my feet. “I gotta get back to my clan.”
Tal nodded and stood as well. “Before you go, I want to give you something that might help.” He reached to his belt.
I tensed, expecting some sort of betrayal, but my fears proved to be unfounded as Tal handed me an item. It was a semi-transparent, smoky white sphere.
“Here you go, man.”
Dimensional Trade Orb
Requirements: Marketplace with an Export-House attachment. Exporter.
Effect: Opens up an interdimensional trade menu with friendly factions.
I immediately dropped my guard, my suspicions evaporating as I read the item’s description. “That almost doesn’t look like a game description.”
“You’re right.” Tal placed the orb in my hand. “I overheard a couple of developers talk about NPC economics. Apparently, this item unlocks an option for NPC factions to trade items instantaneously. It was meant to give NPCs the ability to support each other through a sharing of resources. From what I understand, it works like a regular player’s auction house.”
My heart beat faster in my chest. A personal trading hub? In my own settlement? Yes, please!
Something occurred to me. “Wait, won’t you get into trouble for giving it to me?”
“Nah! After the Divine Intervention I gave you last time, this is small potatoes. But I think it might be just the thing you need to build up your clan faster.”
“Well, if you’re sure.” I placed the orb in my inventory.
We shook hands and said our goodbyes.
With a new hope for the future and a magical item in my pocket, I knew there were exciting times ahead.
6 – Post Rehab
I reappeared in NEO, standing in the tunnel at the same spot I’d been taken from.
Vic was waiting for me as a writhing mass of purple tentacles clinging to the tunnel walls. As soon as I was fully back, he slithered his tentacles down and reformed into his goblin shape. “Welcome home, Boss. It’s been nearly a full day since you left. I was literally climbing the walls from boredom!”
“It was only a short time from my perspective, Vic.” I suddenly remembered our last exchange and gave him a stern look.
Vic literally melted under the intensity of my glare, his lower body oozing into a pool of purple matter.
I let him stew for a few seconds, then I relaxed my stern expression. “It’s cool. I should be the one apologizing. I’ve got my head on straight again because of it. You did the right thing. Thank you, my friend.”
+400 reputation with Vic (The Awesome Companion).
Current rank: Friendly
Points to next rank: 2,500
Vic’s half-molten body shot right back up, a smug grin on his face. “Don’t mention it, Boss, you were starting to lose it. I couldn’t let my meat suit companion go all wonky, you know. It’s hard to find a decent assistant these days.”
I snorted. “Right back at you, Vic. Now let’s get out of this cave; we have work to do.”
***
By the time we reached the surface, it was nearly morning again.
Kaedric was waiting stoically outside the cave entrance. “My lord,” he greeted me, bowing deeply. “I have completed my survey of the clan.”
I glanced at the horizon. The sun would be up shortly. I really ought to get a good day’s sleep before tackling any major administrative issues. “Let’s discuss it tomorrow.” I moved past him.
“But, my lord there is one –”
I didn’t stop walking but looked over my shoulder and said, “There’s nothing we could accomplish today; everyone will be sleeping soon. It can wait for tomorrow.”
His mandibles twitched … irritably?
“But –”
“Tomorrow!” I cut him off firmly.
“Yes, my lord.”
Near the doorway to my house, I found a beautiful, but furious, goblinette pacing. “Tika? What’s wrong?”
Shaking with anger she pointed a finger at the house.
I walked in to find two of the female goblin workers lying on my sleeping furs. They were naked and looking at me expectantly. A shiver ran down my spine.
Tika stepped into the house and stood, fuming, behind me. I could feel the waves of anger coming from her.
“Why other females in our bed?” Tika demanded.
I wanted to know that too.
“Ahem, If I may …”
I looked toward the door. It was Kaed
ric.
I gestured at the two naked females. “Explain.”
He bowed. “That was my intention all along, my lord. I have determined that the clan’s most critical flaw is inefficient reproduction.”
I threw a glance at Tika. “Eh?”
“My lord permitted the goblins of his clan to procreate without supervision, which has unsurprisingly resulted in the most basic, weak variation of goblin. Foblins, I believe is how you refer to them.”
I nodded. I knew that. “So?”
“It will be much more efficient for the clan to breed workers and warriors. Those contribute much more than lowly foblins.”
A dreadful realization came over me and I gulped. “So the females are here …?”
“Yes, my lord. For females to beget goblin warriors, defenders of the clan, the chief must be the sire.“
My fears were confirmed. I looked helplessly from Kaedric to Tika and back again.
Vic laughed.
The administrator continued, “Additionally, advanced worker females will produce simple worker offspring, regardless of the father. We currently have three such females in the clan; the two researchers Romil and Primla, and Tika here. I have already spoken to the researchers, but I’m afraid Tika has been most uncooperative for some reason. This is, after all, for the betterment of the clan.”
“Kaedric, I …” I looked around and closed my mouth. I had no idea how to respond to that. I couldn’t deny the fact that a small part of me found the idea alluring. That part really wanted me to jump into the bed with the naked females and sire a swarm of goblin warriors, claim the land, slaughter my enemies, and then … I shook my head and took a deep breath.
If we’d had this conversation yesterday, my goblin identity might have won over. But I refused to surrender to the base instincts of a monster. My mind was my own and I wasn’t mentally equipped to deal with running a harem. I could juggle a dozen administrative tasks at once, but I just didn’t have the mentality to manage multiple sexual partners. As lame as it might sound, I was a one-girl kinda guy.
I stole a glance at Tika. The beautiful huntress still looked angry. She had changed considerably from the timid, shy goblinette she used to be. Yeah, she’d kill me if I even thought of ‘siring more workers’ with the other females. I chuckled. Tika was precious to me and I never wanted to cause her grief.
“Listen, Kaedric, I will say it only once. I will not be impregnating the females in the clan. I don’t care how efficient it is otherwise. Stop suggesting it.”
The mind eater looked surprised by my vehemence. “The only other option is for your second to assume this obligation, but I’m afraid that the physical differences between Rhynorn and the goblins wouldn’t allow such coupling.”
I shook my head. “It’s not open for discussion. No, and that’s final.”
He glanced at Tika speculatively.
“No,” I said firmly. “Tika is out of bounds, she’s my mate. My only mate.”
Tika’s anger subsided visibly at my words.
“Then the other fema–”
“They can bear children if they want, it’s their call, but I won’t force members of my clan to … ahem, procreate.” Their contribution would be a minor one anyway, compared to the Breeder’s Den output. It wasn’t worth crossing a line.
Kaedric deflated discernibly. “As you wish, my lord.”
I could sense him sending a telepathic message to the naked females. The two hurriedly put their clothes on and followed him out of the house.
Once we were alone, Tika wrapped her arms around my neck, kissed me, and whispered in my ear, “Good decision.”
***
I got up at the first of dark the next day.
I was not surprised to find Kaedric waiting impassively outside my house. I was coming to expect things like that, now that I was more familiar with his no-nonsense personality.
“My lord.” He gave me a slight bow, his mandibles twitching slightly. “Might we discuss the clan development now?”
“Sure, let’s go grab something to eat first.”
Kaedric’s mandibles twitched a bit more, but he followed me without further comment.
When we arrived at the mess hall, Gandork was busy as usual cooking in the kitchen.
We sat on one of the log benches in the empty room.
“Alright.” I braced myself. “Go ahead.”
Kaedric relaxed in his seat. “Thank you, my lord. As I said yesterday, I have concluded a thorough survey of the clan and am prepared to present my findings. There are several items that require your attention.”
“Let’s hear it, then. But nothing about mating arrangements.”
His mandibles folded flat against his cheeks. A form of deference? I wondered.
“Starting with the good news,” Kaedric began, “the researchers have completed their first task. We now have the blueprints for a research center and can start building it at will. Per your orders, the researchers are working on the Dark Temple blueprints.”
“That is good news. It means we should finish researching the Dark Temple blueprint by the time construction of the barracks is complete. So the temple will be our next priority. Then the research center after that.”
Kaedric shook his head. “That is where the news turns bad. I’m afraid both structures require material that is not readily available.”
The door opened, and Zuban walked in.
“Ah, punctual,” Kaedric noted in satisfaction. “I have taken the liberty of inviting Zuban to our meeting, to explain the issue in detail.”
Zuban sat down across from me, looking grumpy and sleepy. I figured it was a bit too early for him to be up.
“Zuban,” I greeted him, “I understand we have resource issues again?”
Zuban rubbed his eyes tiredly. “I’m afraid so, Dread Totem. The new buildings are more advanced; both require a construction-grade glass. The research center requires silver as well.”
“Why the hell does it require silver? And glass? It’s just a glorified classroom for the bookish guys to study, right?” I was not thrilled to have my plans stymied by resource bottlenecks. Again.
“Chief, our current research efforts are somewhat … basic. A research center would facilitate other forms of study. More advanced areas of research, like designing new weapon schemas or chemical recipes, require certain conditions be met.”
“Crap,” I mumbled. “Where the hell are we going to get glass and silver?”
“Well …” Zuban started to answer.
Gandork approached us carrying a tray of food. He served me a grilled steak with a small bowl of stew. I dug in, savoring the delicious flavors. Then I stopped. “What the hell is that?” I asked Gandork, pointing at Kaedric’s serving.
A whole platter of smoked, tender pieces of meat soaked in rich gravy lay in front of the mind eater. Next to it was another platter, holding an entire fish sautéed to perfection with sprinkles of seasoning.
Next to that, my own meal looked like charity food.
Gandork’s face changed into a prideful smile. “This will be Guba’s seasoned fish and my own recipe of cooked meat with mushroom sauce.”
Both were advanced food.
“I know that!” I pointed at my own meal. “Why is he getting all the good stuff?”
Kaedric cleared his throat. “If I may, my lord. My kind require above average sustenance. Without it, I fear my ability to serve will be hindered. Likewise, your new second, Rhynorn Bloodore, receives similar quality food, though he consumes four portions every day.”
Crap. That meant the daily upkeep now included six units of advanced food. I grimaced. I did promise Rhyno he could eat as much as he’d like.
Zuban coughed nervously. “Ahem, so, as I was saying … getting glass could be a problem. I know how to build a Glasshouse, but it requires silica, and we d
on’t have any. We could research a silica refinery, I suppose, but even then, we don’t have access to sand, the required raw material. As for silver …” He looked at me apologetically. “We need to find silver veins to mine.”
I scowled. Both resources sounded like they were going to be difficult to obtain.
I hadn’t forgotten about the orb Tal had given me, but its description was lacking. There was no guarantee it could provide access for the resources we needed. Tal himself admitted he didn’t know the details. I’d been blindsided because of insufficient information enough times already. Building the prerequisite marketplace was a significant undertaking. Too significant. If I spent the time and resources to build it, only to find it wouldn’t solve my current problem, that would be a serious setback. For now, I would just keep an eye out for the needed resources on my next trip out of the valley and hope something changed or turned up before they were actually needed for the construction. Maybe I could give it as a quest to the twins? I wondered.
Other goblin workers were entering the mess hall, taking their meals from Gandork and spreading out to sit around the tables. Zuban excused himself and went to sit with Romil and Primla, the two female goblin researchers.
I rubbed my forehead tiredly and looked at Kaedric. “What else?”
“The two farmers, my lord,” he replied while eating voraciously. He was using his mandibles to push pieces of succulent meat into his mouth. “It appears the valley is not suited for raising crops. Something to do with suboptimal land conditions. As it stands, the two workers cost upkeep, but fail to contribute.”
“What do you suggest we do then?”
He stared at me unblinkingly. “Inefficient components should be disposed and replaced. I can take care of that easily, my lord.” His mandibles clicked together excitedly.
I didn’t like what he was hinting at. “No eating clan members,” I declared firmly.
His mandibles pressed tightly against his lips, in what I gathered was his version of gritted teeth.
“What about the cave?” I asked. “A lot of mushrooms grew there once; maybe they can grow some more.”
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